Baker close to hiring football coach

Baker University’s search for a new football coach is headed down the home stretch.

BU athletic director Dan Harris said Tuesday he planned to interview the last of four finalists for the vacancy today.

“After that I’ll meet with the search committee,” Harris said, “and we hope to know who it will be by the first of next week.”

Harris has been searching for weeks for a replacement for John Frangoulis, who resigned Nov. 17 after three consecutive losing seasons at the Baldwin school.

According to sources, Harris almost hired a new coach before Christmas, but the deal fell through at the last minute, reportedly over the compensation package. Harris resumed the search earlier this month.

After attending the American Football Coaches Assn. convention last week in Orlando, Fla., Harris invited four prospects to visit the BU campus. The first visited last Friday. The next came Sunday. Another was on campus Tuesday, and the last candidate is scheduled to make his tour today.

“We’re a little bit behind, especially for recruiting,” Harris said, “but we have assistant coaches doing that now, and we’re doing a lot better in that regard than I expected.”

All four finalists are believed to be assistant coaches currently at schools with solid programs on the NAIA or NCAA Division III level.

Mike Gardner, a former BU football player who is now defensive coordinator at Tabor College in Hillsboro, isn’t believed to be a finalist.

Whoever takes over the Baker post will be expected to rekindle the glory days of the 1980s and early 1990s when Charlie Richard regularly had the Wildcats in the NAIA playoffs. During those 14 seasons, the ‘Cats were in the playoffs 10 times — including four trips to the semis and one to the final.

Baker was ranked in the NAIA top 25 a record 129 consecutive weeks while Richard, who died of a heart attack in 1994, was head coach.

Frangoulis brought the Wildcats back to prominence in 2000, compiling a 9-2 record that included a win over Campbellsville (Ky.) in the KWTO Bowl in Bolivar, Mo. But three straight losing seasons followed, and Frangoulis resigned after a 4-6 finish in 2003.

Although it has taken longer to identify a replacement than Harris had envisioned, the Baker AD feels the wait could be worth it.

“It’s important we take our time,” he said, “and make sure we get the right guy.”